France's 'blue-eyed emir' jailed for life over terrorist plots

By Philip Delves Broughton in Paris

12:01AM BST 20 Sep 2003

A French Muslim nicknamed the "blue-eyed emir" has been convicted of plotting terrorist attacks in Morocco but was spared the death penalty.

Pierre Robert, 31, who was jailed for life, told the court in Rabat that he was the victim of over-zealous policing after terrorist bombings in Casablanca in May, which killed 45 people including 12 suicide bombers. During his trial, he said his jailers had forced false confessions out of him by means of rape and torture.

Had he been sentenced to death, as the Moroccan prosecutors had requested, France would have had to plead for his pardon, putting an unwanted strain on strong political and economic ties.

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Nearly 1,000 men have been arrested since the Casablanca bombings, and 14 sentenced to death. Robert was not accused of complicity in the Casablanca attacks but of plotting similar attacks in other cities.

Two men were sentenced to life with Robert and 22 others received sentences ranging from 10 to 30 years in prison.

Robert's lawyer, Vincent Courcelle-Labrousse, promised to appeal all the way up to King Mohammed VI if necessary, arguing that the police had no material evidence against his client but relied solely on witness testimony.

Robert was described by prosecutors as an "essential link" in Moroccan terrorism.

During his trial, Robert claimed to have worked for France's foreign and domestic intelligence agencies, a claim both agencies have denied. They believe Robert boasted about working for them in order to sound important to his terrorist friends.